Food items such as fruit, particularly soft fruits, enjoy only a limited life after being picked. For example, such fruits as peaches and plums may have a shelf life of only up to two weeks after being picked depending upon the temperature and other storage conditions. In order to maximize the life of such fruit during storage, it is essential to provide for air circulation through the fruit in its stored condition in order to maintain a cooling air flow over the fruit's surface and thereby help to inhibit the formation and heat build-up associated with bacteria.
Over the years various types of cartons have been used to store fruit in the fruit industry. Such cartons have exhibited problems of inadequate ventilation of the produce contained in these boxes together with inadequate strength and limited stackability due to not only limited strength but also the tendency of the cartons to slip one over the other. Also, it is desirable to dimension the cartons so that when they are positioned on a pallet they are compatible with the dimensions of the pallet. Some boxes in the fruit industry are dimensioned so that when they are stacked side by side and end to end they do not fit within the overall dimensions of a standard sized pallet so that stacking onto the pallet is relatively inefficient.
As a result of the foregoing problems the fruit industry began fabricating cardboard boxes using glue in order to realize greater strength through a more rigid structure as well as reduction in the amount of material used to make each carton. Because it is not practical to transport boxes once they are glued, it is necessary to carry out the gluing operations at the same location where the boxes are to be used. The need to locate the gluing operation adjacent the packaging operation has imposed a severe limitation on the acceptability of glued boxes other than for very large packing plant operations.
Prior art examples of cardboard containers that use glue or staples in their construction and are used for storage of assorted materials are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,950,850 to Corcoran and 2,572,610 to Gilbert.
Other foldable cardboard containers have been developed for storing fruit produce and other perishable materials that avoid the problems of gluing and stapling. These cartons rely on arrangements of interlocking tabs for their structural rigidity. Examples of such containers are disclosed in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,894,226 to Ross PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,057 to Sharpe PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,811,298 to Jones PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,108,569 to Kundikoff PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,499 to Giebel PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,723 to Owens PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,820,706 to Gibson et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,048 to Rieben et al. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,353 to Stollberg PA1 UK Patent No. 2,043,596 to Scotcher et al. PA1 French Patent No 2240156 PA1 French Patent No. 2299226 PA1 French Patent No. 2363489; and PA1 Italian Patent No. 0678940